Charges Against Accused Rochester Motel 6 Shooter Dismissed

Get our free mobile app

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - The Olmsted County Attorney's Office is blaming unreliable witnesses for its decision to dismiss attempted murder and other charges against a former Kasson man accused of being involved in a shooting at a Rochester motel.

34-year-old Tiron Brown was charged with participating in a shooting at the Motel 6 in northwest Rochester in July 2021. The criminal complaint says about a dozen shots were fired into a hotel room and a woman suffered a non-life-threatening gunshot wound in her back.

READ MORE: Rochester Police: Woman Helped Identify Shooting Suspect

The court document says Brown was identified as a suspect by a woman he had previously threatened. She told investigators that a person in the room when the shooting occurred told her that "Brown was one of the two shooters firing at him." The woman also stated that Brown called her after the shooting and told her "The next bullet is for you, (expletive)."

Brown had been facing two counts of first-degree attempted murder, two counts of second-degree assault, illegal possession of a firearm, and a charge of threats of violence. The motion to dismiss indicates there is insufficient evidence for the prosecution to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt because witnesses have become increasingly unreliable.

The document says one of the witnesses was expected to provide testimony inconsistent with previous statements that identified Brown as the shooter. It also states that an additional material witness is no longer cooperative and describes her as the key witness for identification purposes of the shooter. According to the motion, the woman is actively avoiding service and has recanted her prior statements.

READ MORE: Rochester Motel 6 Shooting Suspect Backs Out of Plea Deal

Brown had earlier reached a plea agreement in the case. He entered an Alford plea to the charge of threats of violence in exchange for the dismissal of the other charges, but he backed out of that plea deal just before he was scheduled to be sentenced last September. His trial on the attempted murder and other charges was scheduled to take place this month.